My Lips Like Sugar
by Chousen
Summary: Grimmjow's got a problem at work and it's not just the job. Dealing with Ichigo, a candy obsessed fountain of annoyance could only be tolerated for so long before something had to give. GrimIchi, Slash, AU.


Disclaimer: Angst, smut. You get it, it's a pwp.

* * *

><p><em>Why on earth am I still working here<em>? Grimmjow felt he'd been asking himself that every day since he applied at _Shihoin's Furnishings _and was accepted for the job. It was supposed to be easy, just sitting around and waiting for customers. Maybe setting up a new display or changing out mattresses on the beds every once in a while. Nothing he couldn't handle. But it wasn't the job so much as it was the company he kept that tested his patience.

Across the room, Ichigo Kurosaki in all his bright-ass-haired glory snapped away on three combined pieces of gum and loudly turned the pages of the magazine he was browsing. Every single thing the kid did made Grimmjow's blood boil, at _all_ times of the day.

The absolute worst of all the terrible habits Ichigo had was his god damned oral fixation and obsession with candy. Such as gum that made Ichigo smack his lips like a fucking camel, hard candy that clacked between his teeth, or those ginormous lollipops that only this idiot could finish off in a manner of minutes. You know, the kind that don't even fit in your mouth because they're so big? The very same ones that leave bright green or blue stains on your lips and tongue? Yeah, those.

Grimmjow balled up his third piece of scrapped paper and cocked back his arm, one blue eye squinting before he launched the makeshift projectile straight at the very source of his annoyance, just a few feet away at the register next to his own. Moments before it hit the orange haired freak in the face, Ichigo lifted his magazine a couple of inches and batted the balled up paper away, sending it down on the floor where it skidded a couple of feet before stopping altogether.

Grimmjow sneered and wrenched himself out of his chair, grabbing his notebook and pen, slamming his textbook shut and stomping off to take shelter in the storage room where at least the dingy smell of the dark area was better than Ichigo's persistent chewing.

It wasn't like Grimmjow really expected to get any of his college assignments done while at work, but he had hoped that for once, Ichigo would just be quiet enough that Grimmjow could hear his own thoughts. He'd really only brought the textbook along because working at this place was incredibly boring.

Dropping his stuff on the cool concrete floor in the back room, Grimmjow sent a hand back through his hair and sighed. He crouched and sat back on his butt, stretching his legs out on either side of his books. Leaning against a wall, he tilted his head back, letting his eyes fall shut.

When he'd first applied for this job, it was supposed to be _temporary_.

"Tch!" Grimmjow shook his head, rubbing his hair against the wall behind him, knowing full well it'd be a mess when he stood up. Five months ago he'd come waltzing into the furniture store for a part time job while he figured out what he wanted to do with his new degree. It didn't take long for him to realize that English Lit was just about the worst major he could have picked for steady employment. And now he was stuck, applying for even more classes just to meet the requirements for shitty jobs he wasn't even sure he'd like doing.

_Secretary, my ass_. At the very least, something had to be better than this.

Sure, Grimmjow didn't mind the free time he got with working a Shihoin's, seeing as they closed around five and he got weekends off. But he still hated having to get up early, and there was nothing worse than dragging himself in only to have to deal with Ichigo fucking Chewosaki for seven hours straight, five days of the week.

Grimmjow groaned to himself and kicked his notebook across the floor. It wasn't doing him any good just sitting there and it wasn't as if anyone actually bought any of the overpriced furniture here, so it was highly unlikely there'd be any customers to tend to.

Shifting himself off the floor, Grimmjow abandoned his books and walked back out into the store, dawdling through the random displays of living room sets and aisles upon aisles of lamps or bookcases, among other things Grimmjow hadn't even heard of before being hired.

When he reached the front checkout and spotted Ichigo, still kicked back in a chair with his feet on the counter, Grimmjow paused and shoved a hand into his pocket, searching for his phone. As he brought it out, Grimmjow stepped back behind the aisle he'd just come out of and went through his cell's menu's to find the right ringtone. Picking the one that made the most noise, Grimmjow smirked to himself and snuck around behind the counter, tiptoeing with breath held until he stood behind Ichigo's chair, unseen.

Instead of playing it right away, Grimmjow waited until he was sure Ichigo wasn't aware of his presence. Well, that _was_ his plan until Ichigo chomped louder than ever on his gum and Grimmjow rolled his eyes, deciding he couldn't wait. Starting up the ringtone he'd picked, Grimmjow held the phone to Ichigo's ear and stood back, awaiting the inevitable.

The violent, loud tone spilled from the tiny speaker, filling the silent store with its racket.

Just as predicted, Ichigo jerked like he'd been electrocuted and his feet kicked the counter so hard, he fell back in his chair. In his panic, Ichigo almost ran straight into Grimmjow when scrambling to his feet with his face bright red.

"What the fuck, Grimmjow?" Ichigo shouted, smacking the back of his pants to clear any dirt he'd collected from his brief contact with the ground.

Grimmjow barely heard the words because he was too busy laughing, head tilted back and phone nearly falling from his hand. The ringtone was still blaring on and on and it took Ichigo punching Grimmjow in the arm for him to finally turn the thing off.

"Oh god, you should have seen yourself." Grimmjow choked and shook his head, still breathing in short puffs between laughs. "You had no idea- Just- too funny!"

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and put on his trademark scowl. Grimmjow's arm was still red from where he punched, but it hardly hurt, and he was still too amused with Ichigo's crazy reaction to notice.

"You're such an ass. What the hell did I do to you anyway?"

Grimmjow shrugged and grabbed the chair Ichigo had overturned in his excitement. Setting it upright again, Grimmjow started chuckling once more and he heard Ichigo sigh from behind him. Grimmjow turned back around and smirked. "You were asking for it with all of that gum chewing you were doing. Seriously, don't you even notice how loud you are?"

"What are you talking about? You're the one I can hear crunching on Doritos from across the entire store! You do know there's a door to the break room, right?" Ichigo shoved Grimmjow aside. With a wary glance at the phone still in his co-workers hand, Ichigo sat back down in his chair and scraped his crumpled magazine off the floor from where he'd practically tossed it in his graceless fall.

"Oh, _I'm_ the one that chews loudly?" Grimmjow snorted, sauntering around the counter to stand in front of it, where a customer would. "I don't think so, Ichigo. You've got something new in your mouth every day. I don't know how you manage to breathe with half the shit you stick in there. Doesn't your jaw ever get tired of flapping?"

"I don't know. Don't you ever get sick of being an asshole?"

"Nah," Grimmjow winked and dropped his hands down on the counter, one of them landing in the middle of Ichigo's magazine. "What are you reading anyway? The _Willy Wonka _catalogue?"

"No, and cut it out. I didn't even know I was a loud chewer." Ichigo's cheeks tinted pink, only accentuating the angry glare he gave Grimmjow. "You could have told me any time in the last- what? Six months we've been working together?" Ichigo looked indignant, defensive. _Aw, poor kid._

_Don't tell me he's actually upset about this_.

Grimmjow stood up straight again and looked around, acting as if he wasn't sure. As if he wouldn't remember just how many days and weeks he'd been subjected to this…torture. "Five months, I think. Why does it matter? If I told you earlier, you'd just do it even more to annoy me. Isn't that how it works?"

Ichigo tugged at his overly tight shirt, staring down at the bold white lettering across his chest rather than answering.

Grimmjow would never understand why Ichigo wore such restricting stuff. Like pants that probably required a dance to squeeze into, and shirts that hugged him like another skin. Grimmjow licked his lips and guided his mind away from that sort of thing. The kid was hot, true, but still annoying as shit.

More than a few times, Grimmjow had wondered what other things Ichigo could do with that busy mouth. He'd always quickly snapped himself out of it though. No practiced set of lips or gorgeous body could get Grimmjow over just how much Ichigo pissed him off. Never mind that Grimmjow had shallow reasons to be annoyed by his co-worker, and forget the fact that he'd been subjected to the occasional hard on when imagining Ichigo wiggling out of those ass-hugging slacks or dropping to his knees to show Grimmjow what all that candy sucking talent prepared him for.

"I've been here for two years," Ichigo said glumly, tearing Grimmjow out of his daze. Rather than pissed, Ichigo kind of looked depressed. Then again, who wouldn't be if they had to work this place for that long?

Grimmjow swallowed and turned to sit on the counter, facing away from Ichigo and toward the front entrance of the store. He didn't really know what to say and wasn't sure there _was_ anything to say in the first place. Kicking his feet, Grimmjow tilted his head and watched a few people walk by outside.

"I'm thinking of quitting in the fall," Ichigo said from behind him. "I've saved up enough to start taking classes again, and Kisuke hardly needs me as a manager here. We have so few employees and there's not all that much to manage to begin with.." Ichigo gave another drawn out sigh, then Grimmjow heard the squeak of the chair as he got up.

Grimmjow turned to see Ichigo walk up behind him, staring out the large paned windows that made up the front wall of the store. To his surprise, he felt something clench in his gut as he thought about Ichigo leaving. Maybe because he'd have to get used to some other dumbass bossing him around. Grimmjow could just quit, too, he'd been meaning to do that for a while.

Grimmjow hopped off the counter and turned to Ichigo, letting a grin slide onto his face. "And I'm supposed to care?"

The redhead frowned and Grimmjow smacked into his shoulder while passing him. No pity parties here, not at all. If Ichigo wanted to quit, Grimmjow wasn't about to stand in his way.

Grimmjow returned to the storage room, planning to busy himself with his assignment again. He should have known it'd be just as useless as before.

* * *

><p>Just half an hour more and Ichigo would be free to go home. Ichigo knew Grimmjow was supposed to close tonight, but he always stayed to help out, just in case. He told himself it was because he didn't trust the guy to do it right, but he knew it wasn't that.<p>

Week after week, Ichigo wondered about what it was about himself that put Grimmjow in such a terrible mood. Finding out that he chewed loudly was one thing, but even that didn't seem like a good enough reason. Contrary to what Grimmjow claimed, Ichigo didn't _always_ have something in his mouth.

Ichigo locked the front door and tucked his keys into a pocket, wandering back over to clear out the register and lock the money away. Not that they made all that much today. Somebody had come in for a desk lamp and ended up just buying light bulbs. Then a couple had come in for a couch, but they didn't buy anything, just made promises that they'd come back another day. Yeah, right.

After locking the money away, Ichigo timed himself out and walked back into the storage room to boot Grimmjow out. What he'd expected to find was his co-worker slumped on the floor as usual, wrapped up in his college assignments or whatever else it was that he wrote about. Maybe it was a journal. Ichigo amused himself with the thought.

Today was different, though. Ichigo half wondered if he'd walked through the wrong door because the back room was so unrecognizable. It used to be a disorganized mess with all of the boxes and unsorted furnishings littering the floor and cluttered in corners, but now they were all arranged neatly and put away.

Ichigo took another step inside and moved back through the shelves, blinking in the semi-darkness and wondering why he hadn't bothered to hit the lights on the way in.

"Got bored," a gruff voice said, and Ichigo whirled around, sighing to himself when he saw that it was Grimmjow.

"You did all of this?" Ichigo gestured vaguely to the room. "You sorted everything?"

"No, a little fairy stopped by and said I had three wishes, so I asked her kindly to clean this place up." Grimmjow planted a hand on his hip, obviously quite pleased with himself.

Shaking his head, Ichigo did a full round of the room and came back, completely shocked with how much Grimmjow had managed to do in the last hour since he'd seen him. Tags were renewed, shelves of things organized, even the spare couches and tables they'd taken off display were stored in a better place, where they could still freely be accessed without getting in the way. "I could have helped you with this, you know."

Grimmjow snorted "And what? Make me listen to you chomping or yacking away for another hour? No thanks."

Ichigo watched Grimmjow turn back around and head for the door, feeling a tick forming above his brow at how impossible it was to compliment this guy. Putting a bit more effort into controlling his tone, Ichigo spoke to Grimmjow's back as nicely as he could. "You did a good job, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow froze in his tracks, still not turning. Ichigo couldn't blame him, it was probably the nicest thing ever exchanged between them since they started working together.

"If you want," Ichigo said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I can put in a good word to Kisuke, show him what you did and see if he'll give you a little boost on your next paycheck."

Grimmjow turned, and Ichigo half expected him to come back with a nasty retort. Instead, Grimmjow's face had softened a bit and his smile seemed slightly less sinister for a moment. _Letting his guard down, was he?_

"I didn't do it for the money, just had nothing better to do," Grimmjow said at last, still looking somewhat thrown by Ichigo's words.

"I know, and I don't blame you, but you still put a lot of work into this and I think you deserve something." He really was trying to be nice. Would it kill Grimmjow to accept that for once?

Grimmjow swayed on his feet and shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." His hand dropped from his hip and he took a step back. "Are we going to close up or what?"

"Uh, yeah." Ichigo frowned and headed for the rear door, pulling his keys back out of his pocket. When everything was put away and locked, Ichigo turned from the back entrance just in time to see Grimmjow speeding away in his car.

Ichigo let out a long sigh and walked to his own ride. Maybe he should just quit after all. It wasn't as if he'd be missed.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow could swear he was going to die right then and there, before he even made it to work. It was stuffy, humid, and by far, <em>way<em> too hot for his tastes. Crossing the parking lot was like trudging through a desert; sweat already beading at the back of his neck and heat reflecting up from the asphalt beneath him. Whose idea was it to make streets black? Idiot.

Just crossing the street, the last hurdle between Grimmjow and the store entrance felt like a mile walk, and it wasn't helping any that none of the cars passing were letting him cross.

After a minute, Grimmjow cursed and rubbed a hand across his forehead, wiping the sweat off on a pant leg and finally jogging across the street, cars be damned. When he pulled open the door and the cool air conditioning blasted into his face, Grimmjow groaned out loud and hurried inside, lifting his arms a bit and hoping he didn't have sweat stains before he started the shift.

Normally, Grimmjow would pray for a customer to break the monotony of the day. Today, he would do just about anything to keep from having to lug heavy furniture across the lot outside and load it into what was most likely a too-small vehicle for the thing in the first place.

Same as ever, Ichigo sat behind the counter with yet another magazine and a bright purple shirt, hugging his torso like it'd grown there naturally. Grimmjow ignored the defined lines of Ichigo's build –_just this once_- and marched right through the store to the employee's restroom. He flipped the sink on and wet his hands before rinsing his face and dousing his hair.

Just as soon as he came up from the refreshing water, Grimmjow glared at his flushed face in the mirror and found Ichigo's reflection staring back at him, too.

"The fuck are you doing in here?"

"You- uh." Ichigo hesitated for a moment and shrugged with one shoulder. "You ran in here so fast, I thought something was wrong."

"Oh." Grimmjow blinked the dripping water away from his eyes and searched for a paper towel. He still had black spots in his vision from the bright sun outside and closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply while scrubbing his face. "It's hot as hell out there, that's all."

As Grimmjow's vision cleared, he turned back around and studied Ichigo's scowling face. "Was there something else?"

It took a moment for Ichigo to shell out his answer, but when he did, it wasn't much more than a grunt, then he walked back out of the bathroom, leaving Grimmjow to stare after him. Kid always did act weird, but it was in a loud sort of way. Ichigo wasn't the type to back away like that, which bothered Grimmjow even more.

Grimmjow fixed his hair in the mirror for a moment before pushing back through the door. He hunted Ichigo down and found him arranging a couple of items on the table of one of the dining room sets. Just briefly, the sight struck Grimmjow as so…ugh, _domestic_. Seeing Ichigo bent over, fixing the tablecloth and rearranging a couple of plates to look like they were set for some imaginary family having dinner that night. Crossing his arms over his chest, Grimmjow tilted his head side to side, letting the cracks from his neck draw Ichigo's attention.

Ichigo straightened up, grabbing at the hem of his shirt and pulling it down. "Can you help me with the front display? Kisuke wants a new bedroom set put out and everything's still in boxes."

Grimmjow nodded, and as Ichigo walked, leading the way to the newly reorganized storage room, he wondered to himself what was different about Ichigo today. He seemed…quieter, more reserved. What was up with that?

"Yo," Grimmjow said, grabbing Ichigo's arm and stopping him in the doorway to the back room. "Did you have something to say to me earlier?"

Ichigo got that lost look in his eyes again and glanced down at Grimmjow's tight grip on his arm. Squirming away from it, Ichigo licked his lips and let his eyes wander off to the side, unable to meet Grimmjow's gaze. "I put in my resignation this morning. I'll be done here by the end of the week."

"Why the fuck for?" Grimmjow snapped, not entirely sure why he cared in the first place. The least Ichigo could do was give him more warning, but even still, why would it matter? Ichigo was quitting and Grimmjow wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

No more loud chewing and out of tune humming. No bossy commands that he angle the couch correctly when moving it and- wait, that was it! Grimmjow's hand shot out and he grabbed Ichigo's jaw, squeezing his cheeks until his mouth came open.

"Gr'jow, wha' tha' fuch are you doin'k?" Ichigo slurred, trying to squirm out of Grimmjow's grip.

"_Nothing_? No gum or candy or anything?"

Ichigo's shoulders slackened and he shook his head as much as he could, reaching up to pry Grimmjow's hand off. "You said it was bugging you, so I left it all at home."

"Why do you give a crap if it bothers me?"

"I told you," Ichigo explained, exasperated. "If you had just said something before, I would have stopped bringing things to eat."

Grimmjow honestly had no idea what to think about that. "So you just left it at home? Not even lunch?"

Ichigo sighed and slapped a hand over his face. "No, not even lunch. I'm such an idiot."

"You've got that right." Grimmjow grinned.

"Look, can we just get this over with?" Ichigo made to step inside the store room, but Grimmjow stopped him again, this time with a hand on his shoulder. "What now, Grimmjow?"

"Let me take you out to lunch later."

Ichigo stared and Grimmjow dropped his arm, fixating on a ceiling tile that was suddenly very interesting. He sighed. "You said you don't have anything to eat, right?"

Grimmjow thought the kid would back up into the wall and melt right through it as an escape. Ichigo looked completely floored. It was actually a bit offensive. After a moment, Grimmjow found his patience wearing thin. "Look if you don't want to go, just fucking say so. It's not like I'm taking you somewhere fancy. Just burgers or something."

Ichigo blinked, then nodded. "Sure, I'll go," he said tightly, showing a tiny smile that quite honestly made Grimmjow want to hit him square in the face. "Burgers sound good."

"Tch, whatever." Grimmjow slid past the so-called manager and navigated his way through the store room to where newer arrivals were located, ready to move on and set this new display up.

Mostly, he wanted to get out of Ichigo's creepy smiling range. Grimmjow much preferred that stupid scowl or the cocky grin the redhead switched between. At least those were somewhat sexy. Grimmjow growled to himself and shouted to Ichigo without turning. "Are you coming or am I going to have to do all the work today, too?"

Grimmjow heard Ichigo's quickened steps and smirked to himself at the grumbling sound of Ichigo's voice moving in his direction. Good, that meant he was scowling again. _Scowling_, he could deal with.

* * *

><p>Ichigo wasn't sure what was up with Grimmjow, but something was really off. First, the guy was offering to take him out to lunch, then he turned around and acted like a complete ass the entire time they set up the new display. Contradicting all of Ichigo's ideas for how to arrange it, complaining for no reason, and overall making things needlessly complicated. It was as if Grimmjow was determined to make Ichigo pay for the upcoming meal by putting up with his attitude. After two hours of snarky comments and low blows, Ichigo finally decided he'd had enough.<p>

"That's it," he said, dropping his end of the table that they were moving and leaving Grimmjow to balance unevenly with his end. "I'm sick of your bitching, so would you just get it out and tell me what's bothering you?"

Grimmjow dropped the table with a loud thud and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, taking his time to respond. Ichigo watched him swallow and rearrange his hair before he finally said anything.

"_You_. You piss me off, same as always. Is that news to you?"

Grimmjow's teeth glittered from his dangerous smile, and Ichigo had to restrain himself from sighing again.

"So you're trying to tell me all this shit you've been putting me through today, your constant complaining and ticking me off on purpose, that's all part of your regular spiel? Your endless endeavor to make my life hell?"

For his part, Grimmjow did pause for a moment, but then kept on trekking, as if Ichigo's words hadn't fazed him in the least.

"You never seemed to mind it before."

Then, Ichigo thought he saw hurt in Grimmjow's eyes, but it was quickly consumed by the angry look that so perfectly suited Grimmjow's angular face.

"I guess that was probably 'cause you couldn't hear me through your gnawing, though." Grimmjow added. "Now that you've got nothing to chew, you can hear every word I say, is that it?"

"God, it's no wonder I hate working here," Ichigo sighed. "You just can't ever get off my case! It's like you think you're paid to make me _have_ to manage you, just because I'm supposed to do that." Ichigo lifted an arm to check his watch and shook his head. "Never mind about lunch today, I'll find my own meal. Go ahead and eat if you want, I just can't be around you right now."

Ichigo turned on a heel and bee lined for the store entrance, figuring he could at least scrounge up the cash for a sandwich from the deli across the street. If not, oh well, he'd just go hungry until he got home. If hunger made him even more cranky, that was too bad. Grimmjow deserved a little retaliation anyway, in his opinion.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow didn't know <em>why<em> he kept checking the display on the checkout monitor every couple of seconds. He didn't know why he pushed Ichigo to the point of leaving, either, and he certainly didn't know why it bothered him enough to care about any of that to begin with. All he knew was that Ichigo was already fifteen minutes late coming back from his lunch break.

Picking at the limp lettuce on his cheeseburger, Grimmjow sneered and restrained the urge to toss it across the room. He'd just have to clean it up anyway, and didn't feel like listening to Ichigo bitch about that too.

Maybe it was better off that they didn't go out to eat together. What was he thinking, anyway? Wanting to eat with someone that drove him crazy every time he had something in his mouth? That was probably the worse idea he'd had all year, maybe placed behind taking this job to begin with.

"Damn it." Grimmjow sucked down more of his Coke and nearly choked when Ichigo stepped through the door.

Ichigo didn't pause or even look at him. He just marched on by and continued through the store, leaving Grimmjow with his half eaten lunch and that annoying tightening sensation in his chest.

Wishing he had enough sense to stay in his seat, Grimmjow got up and quickly followed after Ichigo, cursing himself the entire way. It took a couple minutes of searching, but Grimmjow found Ichigo slumped on a couch, his back pressed against the arm of it and knees pulled to his chest. The helpless position didn't look right on the kid at all. Grimmjow wanted him to stop before- well, he just needed it to stop.

Grimmjow stood in front of the couch and tried not to stare at Ichigo for the long moments of silence that stretched between them.

"Did you need something?" Ichigo asked moodily, shifting on the couch.

"Yeah, I do." Grimmjow scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "You should really.. uh."

Ichigo blinked up at him and Grimmjow felt his stomach drop to his feet. _What the hell is that look? Why does he look so pathetic all of a sudden?_

"You shouldn't put your dirty shoes on in-store furniture," Grimmjow said, and without another word, stalked away with both hands balled into fists.

* * *

><p>Ichigo walked into the store the next day feeling ten times better than he had in the last couple of weeks. He opened the store a couple of minutes early, and even spent the time until Grimmjow arrived making himself some coffee in the break room. He relaxed at the table, sipping on it while reading a new manga he'd picked up recently. A small bag sat on the table near him and Ichigo couldn't help grinning over at it now and then.<p>

He'd had somewhat of an epiphany the night before, after Grimmjow attempted to confront him, but ended up just stomping away and avoiding him until their shift ended. Ichigo was more than ready to test his idea out just to see what the result would be. If he was right, then Grimmjow's attitude the last few days, and his general disposition since they'd started working together was all because- Well, he'd find out soon enough.

Ichigo was excited to get things started, but the next couple of minutes dragged on until finally, the front entrance dinged. Ichigo dropped his manga, grabbing the small bag on the table and rooting through it for something sweet. Something loud he could taunt Grimmjow with.

Quick, familiar footsteps approached and Ichigo hastily unwrapped the candy, tossing it into his mouth and sitting back. He grabbed his manga again and flipped through it casually, not realizing he held it upside down.

Grimmjow walked inside and passed him without a word, fetching a mug and helping himself to some of the coffee Ichigo brewed.

As Grimmjow leaned back, resting against the counter and drinking from his cup with sleepy eyes, Ichigo forced himself to keep a straight face and made the loudest, most obnoxious noise he could with his mouth around the candy.

Just as Ichigo had hoped, Grimmjow's head shot up and he glared murderously right at him. The corners of his mouth were already twitching and there was a tenseness in his frame that made it harder for Ichigo not to laugh.

"I thought you said-" Grimmjow cut himself off and shook his head. "Never mind." Gulping the rest of his coffee down, Grimmjow moved back toward the door and slammed the cup down on the table next to Ichigo before leaving the room in a rush.

Taking his cue, Ichigo got up and scrambled after Grimmjow, popping something else in his mouth and making even more noise as he followed each of his co-workers steps. _Smack. Smack. Smack_.

It took a couple of minutes of just about walking on the backs of Grimmjow's feet for the guy to finally stop and turn around to say something. As soon as he did, Ichigo pulled out a lollipop and pressed it between his lips.

Grimmjow glared at his mouth, ready so say something but somehow losing the will.

_So he was right after all. _All Ichigo had to do was get Grimmjow to break and he'd have his revenge. Or more, if he was lucky.

Twisting the stick, Ichigo let the candy twirl in his mouth and licked at it, still holding Grimmjow's gaze and watching the way each loud smack of his lips and noisy suck made Grimmjow's jaw clench, finger curl and eyebrows pull together.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Grimmjow finally exploded. "Giving that thing a fucking blow job?"

Ichigo took his time removing the lollipop from his mouth and spun it between his fingers slowly. "Jealous?"

All in a matter of seconds, Grimmjow's expression shifted from shock to disgust before settling on pissed. He took a step back, then held his ground, lips curling back and nose wrinkling as he sneered. Ichigo _must_ have been a masochist for enjoying that look so much.

"Fuck no, I'm not jealous! I could get that if I wanted." Grimmjow pointed a finger in Ichigo's face, right between his eyes. "Anytime, Kurosaki, and don't you forget that."

"Anytime?" Ichigo asked innocently, popping the candy back in his mouth and smiling again with his eyes practically closed.

Grimmjow shook his shoulders and arms out, as if trying to shoo the idea away. "Yeah, that's what I said." He shifted on his feet, probably preparing himself for a brawl, but Ichigo had no intention of getting in an actual fight.

"Even right now?" Ichigo mumbled with his mouth full, one eye peeking open.

Grimmjow stepped closer, eyeing Ichigo's mouth warily and licking his own lips. He kept his hands carefully at his sides, but leaned in close, purposely invading Ichigo's space. "Any fucking time."

"I see, I see." Ichigo finished off the candy and planted the stick in the pocket on Grimmjow's work shirt. "Sorry if I'm taking this incorrectly, but are you trying to say what I think you are?"

Grimmjow smirked, no doubt taking that as a challenge. It was about time he started smiling again.

"And what's that, Ichigo?"

Ichigo let out a snort, trying not to look half as nervous as he was. "You want me to blow you, don't you?" He laughed, but it sounded weak, too airy. "I get it now. All the candy I bring to work pisses you off because it turns you on, doesn't it? Watching me eat."

"You're sick! Why would I find that even remotely hot?" Grimmjow planted a hand on Ichigo's chest and started shoving him away. "You eat like a pig, Kurosaki. Now get out of my face."

Ichigo resisted Grimmjow's push and stepped closer, getting right up in his face. "No, I don't think I will."

Grimmjow practically growled. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm not moving, Grimmjow. So you're going to have to walk away if that's what you want." Ichigo straightened his back and hoped he wasn't about to get punched. Grimmjow wouldn't do that for something so stupid, would he?

The two of them stared each other for a long moment, then Grimmjow sighed.

"Fine, _fuck_."

"Fine then." Ichigo echoed. He stood there, waiting for Grimmjow to leave. "See ya!"

Grimmjow ground his teeth together, breathing harshly from his nose. Fed up, Grimmjow reached for Ichigo's arms and bodily moved him out of the way, clearing the space for him to walk. But as Grimmjow started away, Ichigo caught his arm and yanked him back around, shoving a hand into messy, blue hair and pulling him into a kiss.

Grimmjow didn't even hesitate the moment their lips touched. It was like he'd started a fire, something that could have been fine if left alone but was easy to set aflame. Now it burned between them and Grimmjow's hands were grabbing at his waist, bringing him forward and licking at his candy-sweetened lips, groaning at the taste.

Ichigo lifted his other hand to Grimmjow's hair too and let his fingers slide through the soft strands, fluttering his eyes open and watching Grimmjow for a moment. He was so focused, and didn't look even slightly angry anymore.

Reclosing his eyes, Ichigo drew the kiss to a close and took a deep breath, letting his hands fall to his sides as silence hung between them.

* * *

><p>Ichigo tasted just as sweet as Grimmjow always thought he would. It kind of annoyed him that he'd imagined it that much, but it couldn't be helped now. Neither could their obvious attraction to each other. Grimmjow adjusted his hair and grunted, unsure what else he could do. They could just ignore what happened and suffer awkwardly through the rest of the week until Ichigo was gone. Maybe it wasn't the best option, but it was there, and probably the easiest.<p>

Before today, Grimmjow had convinced himself he hated this guy. Couldn't even stand his presence much less his appearance. It was all a joke though, every bit of it. From day one, he'd found Ichigo attractive, and had been spending every hour on shift creating stupid reasons to hate him so he could just get through the day without pinning Ichigo to a wall or…just, something worse.

Ichigo looked even better than usual after being kissed. His face was all flushed and lips parted, still red and shiny and- _Fuck_, Grimmjow wanted to kiss him again. The kid had been right, he was fucking jealous, all of a stupid piece of candy. How ridiculous could he get?

"What else did you wish for?" Ichigo said, and Grimmjow looked up, cocking a brow in question.

"You said a fairy cleaned up the back room, but you had three wishes." Ichigo said. "You only used one, right?"

Grimmjow thought about calling him a dumbass, but the kid looked so sincere. He chuckled and shrugged. "Just the one. Guess I still got two more."

Ichigo nodded and crossed his arms. "What do you think you'll ask for?"

Truthfully, Grimmjow didn't know. It wasn't as if he'd been thinking about it. It was a lie after all, and he knew that shit didn't exist so it wasn't as if his wishes would come true.

Ichigo shifted in front of him and offered a smile. "Just think about it," he said, and left Grimmjow alone in the aisle to do just that.

* * *

><p><em>Think about it?<em>

Grimmjow paced back and forth, furiously mumbling to himself. He'd hardly had enough time to figure out what had just happened, much less think of his other wishes. Why even bother? If he actually let himself think about it, all he'd come up with was something filthy, and even though Ichigo was the one to kiss him, Grimmjow didn't think the kid was in for doing more than that without having some sort of talk.

Then again, Ichigo was the one to ask about his wishes. Maybe that was a hint?

Grimmjow cursed and kicked a foot into the shiny, tile floor. He'd have to clean that scuff mark up later, but whatever. He hadn't seen Ichigo for nearly an hour, probably hiding somewhere sucking down more sweets.

Fuck, he'd been such an idiot, making a big deal about Ichigo's oral fixation when in reality, it was Grimmjow that had a thing for it. Yeah, so he liked watching Ichigo stuff things in his mouth, was that a crime?

Grimmjow started back toward the front of the store, but stopped himself, figuring Ichigo was probably at the check-out right about now. Seeing as he hadn't thought of his answer, Grimmjow wasn't quite ready to talk to him yet. Maybe after work or something.

Or never.

That would be much easier, wouldn't it?

Grimmjow sighed. Like fuck he was running away from this kid. Ichigo wasn't all that scary, and Grimmjow never ran from a confrontation. This time wouldn't be any different.

Distracted by his thoughts and not paying attention to his surroundings, Grimmjow turned the corner out of an aisle and crashed into a customer, knocking the things straight out of their hands.

Bending to help pick them up, Grimmjow apologized with a grumble and looked up when he heard laughter above him. _Oh, no_.

"Something on your mind, Grimmjow?" Yoruichi planted a hand on her hip and grinned, shaking her head so her pony tail flared out behind her. Of course, _she_ had to show up and complicate things even more. No doubt she'd have herself face first in all his personal business in a matter of seconds.

Rolling his eyes, Grimmjow gathered the rest of the supplies from the floor and dropped them heavily into his boss's arms. "Since when do you come by the store on your own? Don't you normally send Kisuke?" The stupid green striped co-owned the store and was generally the one to do all the visits while Yoruichi sat home, doing who knows what.

The woman laughed again while adjusting the things in her grip so she wouldn't drop them again. It looked to be a couple of polished, wooden planks, nothing she couldn't handle.

"Normally, yes, but you know how he's scatter brained and forgets things. Like the saying goes, if you want something done-"

"Yeah, yeah, do it yourself." Grimmjow finished, ready to turn and head off in the opposite direction. "Ichigo's up in the front if you haven't scanned those yet."

"Aww," Yoruichi whined, "Not going to escort me, Grimmy?"

"You're a big girl, you can make it on your own." Grimmjow patted her on the head, ruffling her hair because he knew she couldn't do anything about it with her arms full. Or at least, he didn't think she could. He learned differently when she kicked out and caught him in the shin with the toe of her shoe.

"Ah, fuck. Damn it! Alright, I'll go with you." Grimmjow ripped the planks out of her hands before she could complain about that too. "Come on, before you get any other bright ideas."

The woman grinned and followed along, seemingly materializing a phone from somewhere Grimmjow didn't want to know the location of, and stealing a photo of Grimmjow's limping walk.

"So what was on your mind when you ran into me?" she asked, that teasing and curious lilt in her voice. "You looked all serious."

"None of your business, that's what."

Grimmjow's comment earned him a yank on the back of his hair and he cursed again, fighting the urge to turn around and provide more squishy targets for her dangerous limbs. Walking a little faster, he turned out of another aisle and spotted Ichigo up at the counter. For once, Ichigo wasn't reading anything, but staring out the front door longingly, as if he was awaiting the return of a long lost pet.

"It's about him, isn't it?" Yoruichi prodded, knowingly. "Let me guess, you guys fooled around?"

_Almost_. Grimmjow nearly lost his cool, but there was no way she could know about that. He increased the pace of his steps once again and practically ran to the counter, dumping the wood in front of Ichigo and rushing out of dodge. Grimmjow could still hear his boss laughing behind him as he left and scowled to himself. _Nosy bitch._

* * *

><p>Ichigo started to worry as closing time ticked closer and Grimmjow had yet to say a word to him since their kiss. When he saw the guy rushing over, Ichigo thought maybe that was it. Instead, a dozen wooden planks were dropped on the counter. As Yoruichi came over behind him, Ichigo realized his boss had done it once again.<p>

It didn't take much to put Grimmjow in a bad mood, and that woman, their employer, had a knack for getting under peoples skin. Especially Grimmjow's. Ichigo figured that was why she loved to bother him so much.

Whatever she said to Grimmjow, it seemed to only make things worse than before. Ichigo even spent half an hour wandering around the store in search of the guy, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Giving up, Ichigo settled for returning to the front desk, putting on his headphones and waiting it out. It wasn't long before the music he'd chosen got his feet tapping, and in less than a minute, Ichigo was bouncing in his chair, spinning side to side and mumbling out the lyrics to his newest song obsession.

Turning the volume up, Ichigo dropped his head back and kicked the counter, on purpose this time, and made his chair spin in quick circles while he sang without an ounce of shame. He knew he could sing, and though his voice wasn't perfect, he could at least hold a tune without breaking any glass.

Ichigo was there like that for who knows how long, but he didn't come out of his musical trance until something cool traced his ear, drawing his eyes open and halting him mid-verse. Blinking upward, Ichigo spotted Grimmjow bending over his face from behind him. Sitting up straight, Ichigo turned in the chair to face Grimmjow properly and crossed a leg over his knee, waiting for some sort of explanation.

Grimmjow scratched the side of his face and tugged on a leather bracelet around his wrist. "I thought of something," he said.

_There's a first_, Ichigo thought, but kept his mouth shut, looking at Grimmjow expectantly while he dropped a hand to pause his mp3 player and yanked the earbuds out.

"The wishes, I mean." Grimmjow scowled and blew out a deep sigh. "Since I only have two- well I thought the second wish could be having another."

Ichigo raised a brow. "Grimmjow, you can't wish for another wish. That's like a known rul-"

"I don't mean another wish. I meant another _kiss_."

That…wasn't exactly expected. Ichigo felt his skin heat up and fidgeted in his chair. "You're saying you want to use one of your wishes on another kiss? With me?"

"Yeah, dumbass. Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm just making sure, jeez." Ichigo stood up slowly and closed the space between them, lifting a hand to brush some of the messy bangs out of Grimmjow's face. Grimmjow flinched, but didn't move away. "Okay, so what's your third wish?"

"I haven't- Uh, I haven't decided yet." Grimmjow tried to look away, but Ichigo touched his cheek and turned him forward again.

"Yes, you have. Just tell me." Ichigo smirked as Grimmjow stalled, bouncing on his feet and looking like he might bolt at any second. Was it really so terrible being honest? "If you tell me, I'll give you that kiss." It sounded like a bribe, even though Ichigo had planned on kissing him anyway.

Something sparked behind Grimmjow's eyes and his jaw worked, like he was chewing on the words he'd have to eventually say.

Ichigo heard him mumble something and Grimmjow turned his face again, this time away from Ichigo's hand.

"What was that?" Ichigo moved to stand in front Grimmjow again and saw him roll his eyes in annoyance. This was going to be good, he just knew it. "You need to speak up."

"I _said_, I don't want you to quit," Grimmjow snarled.

Hearing the words, Ichigo felt something fluttering uneasily inside him. "You don't want me to quit working here? As in not resign at the end of the week?"

"Yes, alright? I want you to stay. Is that such a big fucking deal?" Grimmjow crossed his arms defensively, closing himself off from Ichigo's advances into his space. "There you go, those are my two wishes. Now where's my kiss?"

Ichigo blinked, having somehow forgotten the kiss after hearing that Grimmjow actually cared if he left. "Why?"

"Because you said you would!" Grimmjow grumbled. "Are you taking it back now?"

"What? No, you'll get your kiss." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I mean why don't you want me to quit?"

Grimmjow shrugged and Ichigo felt the butterflies in his stomach fall dead in an instant. Maybe Grimmjow was just fucking with him, or setting him up for some big joke. Honestly, Grimmjow had pulled enough pranks on him in the past few months, but this was kind of a low blow. Ichigo really wasn't sure if Grimmjow would do something like that, and realizing that kind of made Ichigo sad. What had he really learned about this guy since he'd been hired at _Shihoin's Furnishings _anyway?

"Because maybe- I'll just-" Grimmjow shook his head, gnawing at his lip.

Ichigo found it cute for exactly a second before he scolded himself and tried to remember this was serious. Grimmjow wasn't really cute anyway, more like annoying. Or dangerous, that was a good description. And gorgeous…yeah. Sidetracking again. Luckily, Grimmjow was talking again.

"I'll miss you or something, okay? It's boring enough here as it is, and with you around- It's just not so bad, you know? Like, even though we don't always talk and you piss me the fuck off most of the time, at least I know you're there and-" Grimmjow cut himself off before he could spill the rest, but Ichigo considered himself lucky to have heard that much.

Drawing closer, Ichigo touched the middle of Grimmjow's chest and smiled warmly, indicating that Grimmjow didn't have to explain himself anymore. Ichigo understood because he felt the same way. He never really wanted to quit. He'd thought about it plenty of times, and maybe Grimmjow was half of the reason, but he was also the reason Ichigo didn't get around to it until recently.

Ichigo just had a bad feeling about leaving, like he there was something left unfinished, if that made any sense. Now, at least, he was getting a chance to figure that out. To see why Grimmjow repelled and attracted him all at once.

Ichigo watched Grimmjow swallow and wait impatiently. He wasn't sure what to say, what to do next, but he was getting pretty tired of talking it out, and realized it was time for the next step.

Grabbing onto Grimmjow's shirt tighter, Ichigo tugged the other man closer and brushed his lips over his, sighing happily at the soft feel of Grimmjow's mouth on his own. It lasted a moment, the lingering hesitance, before the actual kiss, but Ichigo loved that feeling. The building anticipation and bated breath, fluttering eyelids, all the stuff that led up to the real thing.

* * *

><p>Ichigo felt so <em>warm <em>against him and tasted sweet. The hands on Grimmjow's chest dragged around to his back, arms pressed all around him and Ichigo's demanding mouth on his own. Even the breath from Ichigo's nose made Grimmjow shudder.

This time, it wasn't rushed like before, or sloppy. Ichigo kissed him slow and gentle, easing his lips apart until that hot tongue swiped across his mouth. Grimmjow didn't even stop to consider his options, lifting his hands to lightly circle Ichigo's throat and draw him deeper, inviting him in.

Grimmjow felt the heat building in his gut again, circling in his belly. The darker side of Grimmjow called out to him, told him to push, to take more, demand it. Oh, he definitely wanted it. Though Grimmjow had tried all this time to ignore the thoughts, they never quite stayed away. Coming out when he was alone in his room or in the shower, clenching his teeth in frustration while he struggled to clear out the images of Ichigo squirming beneath him, groaning and begging for more.

Grimmjow tried to fight it, really, but Ichigo just kept pushing. Even after their lips parted, the redhead kissed down his jaw and nipped at his ear, flooding him with all that want and need he was desperately trying to control. Ichigo's lithe body pressed against Grimmjow, insistent and strong, arms tight around his waist and drawing nonsense patterns on his back.

The store should be closing soon, it was their job to see to it, but Grimmjow couldn't summon the effort to care. Nobody came in this late anyway, right? It was just the two of them standing in front of the check-out, breathing hard and pulling each other close.

Five months ago, Grimmjow would have scoffed if someone told him this would happen. Ichigo, the annoying kid with the gum in his mouth that told him he'd probably never get hired after his interview. The jackass with the confident smirk that sent Grimmjow on his way, telling him not to expect a call back. But Grimmjow got one anyway.

It surprised him when he heard that sexy baritone, Ichigo's voice drawling into the receiver and telling Grimmjow to show up on time the next Monday. Grimmjow had all but skipped into the building that day, deciding immediately that he'd do this job better than Ichigo ever did and earn himself a fake manager position, too, just to shut the kid up.

And here Grimmjow was, kissing Ichigo instead of beating him. Not showing him anything but the inside of his mouth and letting him shove sweaty hands up the back of his shirt, groping and brushing his fingers in places that made him shiver. Like that spot underneath his left shoulder blade- _Freaken hell_.

With a deep groan, Grimmjow drew Ichigo closer, their hipbones brushing together. Ichigo made a strangled sound and his hips shoved forward, stirring something within Grimmjow that made something snap, all control lost to that one simple movement.

* * *

><p>Before he could blink, Ichigo found himself pushed down on the counter, back pressed against the panel for scanning items, head nearly hanging off the edge as Grimmjow crawled on top of him, rubbing hands up his thighs and pressing hungry kisses all over his face, his neck, on his lips.<p>

It took a moment to clear his mind, but when Ichigo realized where they were, he panicked a bit and sat up, forcing Grimmjow to back off and stand in front of him. Grimmjow waited between Ichigo's dangling legs with a look of confusion, and perhaps a little hurt in the depths of those darkening, blue eyes.

"We should close the store or go somewhere else," Ichigo said by way of explanation. At the very least, they shouldn't be fooling around at the very front of the store, displaying their –_whatever this was_ to anyone that happened to walk by and peer through the windows.

It wasn't that Ichigo was shy or anything, and wasn't afraid of a little (okay, a lot of) PDA. Ichigo couldn't exactly be fired in his last week either so he had nothing to lose, but something still went off in his head, a faint alarm telling him this wasn't right despite his hormones screaming they couldn't give the tiniest fuck.

Grimmjow parted Ichigo's legs and scooted up between them, sifting his hands into Ichigo's hair, demanding with his stare for Ichigo just to let it go, forget all the restraint that held him back and go with it already. What was the worst that could happen? Did it really matter if they lost one customer? Would it really be so bad if the security cameras caught them in the act? Ichigo could always just destroy the evidence later, or take the tapes home and-

Point is, Ichigo figured he had more reasons to let this happen than to stop it.

Grimmjow kicked the chair out of the way since it was crowding him against the desk, then bent forward and kissed Ichigo hard, not minding the slight meeting of their teeth or how hard it was to breathe after only a couple of moments. Ichigo felt two big hands on his face, holding him there and directing him into the kiss, not letting him move until Grimmjow decided he could, and Ichigo was okay with that.

Any other time, he would have fought to the very end with this guy, be it verbal argument or fist fight. They never settled on anything, always ending violent and angry, one of them storming off when things were about to go too far and cause a public scene.

But this. _This_ was different. Ichigo let Grimmjow lead, and he loved every second. Loved the strong hands spread across his cheeks, rough fingertips brushing the edge of his jaw bone and stroking under his ear, angling Ichigo's face so Grimmjow could reach more of him inside, kiss deeper, taste more.

Ichigo couldn't decide what he wanted more. His hands wandered Grimmjow's sides, smoothed over well-built arms and pushed under the back of Grimmjow's shirt. He felt the way his muscles bunched under warm skin; taut and twitching under his touch. Grimmjow groaned when Ichigo found certain spots, when his fingers traced down his spine and then circled the small of his back, drawing hard shivers that started from his tailbone and bolted all the way up to his kissing lips.

They parted to breathe and Grimmjow's mouth skipped across his cheek, angling downward. Ichigo tilted his head to the side, offering his neck, and Grimmjow took it, mouthing red spots from earlier and creating new ones. He licked up under Ichigo's ear and drew the edge between his lips where he nipped softly. Fuck, who knew Grimmjow could be so gentle? So damn caring and- "_Ahh_"

One of Grimmjow's hands had dropped and started kneading at Ichigo's groin, not so subtly hinting that he knew what Ichigo wanted. Just as Ichigo thought he'd get that, thought he'd feel those hands reach into his pants, unzip them and drop them to his ankles or rip them off, Grimmjow's hands changed directions. They slipped up under the front of Ichigo's shirt, rubbing his stomach and pressing hard against his chest.

Grimmjow lifted Ichigo's shirt so he could see more, eyes hungrily darting over the bare skin and Grimmjow licked his lips. The sight made Ichigo moan out heatedly and he shoved his hands into the back of Grimmjow's jeans, pulling him closer. His fingers inched downward into Grimmjow's pants and over his ass, squeezing and shoving them hem down a little so he could move more freely.

Grimmjow may not have worn tight pants, but they weren't exactly hanging at his knees either. He clothed himself in the standard black slacks they had to wear for work, thin pockets over his ass and creases on the legs where they should have been ironed and folded crisply, but instead were barely visible. Figures Grimmjow wouldn't bother with an iron.

It took another couple minutes of Grimmjow's teasing for Ichigo to realize his co-worker was stuck. Grimmjow, for one reason or another, wasn't sure what to do. Sure, he probably knew what they _could_ do, but he wasn't moving on, just continuing with the kisses, grabbing at the front of Ichigo's pants and, hell did it feel good, but Ichigo needed _more_.

Slipping his hands from Grimmjow's pants, Ichigo grabbed his co-workers waist and pushed him back, sliding off the counter and guiding Grimmjow to the chair he'd kicked away. With a firm hand on his shoulder, Ichigo sat Grimmjow down, hard enough to make the chair roll back a few feet. Ichigo grabbed the arms of the chair and brought Grimmjow near again, stopping its movement completely before falling to his knees in front of him. Grimmjow's legs voluntarily spread wide and Ichigo was crawling between, reaching up to attack the front of his pants.

Grimmjow liked seeing Ichigo eat, did he? Liked watching him suck things, lick and push candy between his lips? Well Ichigo could handle that, could show Grimmjow something else he could do.

Cupping Grimmjow through his slacks, Ichigo looked up to watch him gasp and sink further into the chair. This was a different Grimmjow. Not exactly calm or docile, but he was surrendering to his need, at the very least.

Ichigo wanted more of that, hoped it wasn't the last time he'd see it, but pushed his thoughts away. He licked his lips and looked down, freeing Grimmjow's length with a flick of his wrist.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow muttered something darkly, slouching more in the chair and bring himself closer to what he wanted. That, fitlhy, taunting mouth. Grimmjow groaned at the thought, all that time they could been doing this instead of bickering. Ichigo knew what he was doing, too, just as he imagined. Wished for, even.<p>

_Wishes_. Grimmjow caught himself before he could laugh. How was it that something like a silly wish could get him this?

He felt himself throb, heavy in Ichigo's hand. Those fingers were softer than they should have been, light on his skin with taunting strokes, just the faintest brushing over his sensitive skin. Damned kid was teasing him, now.

_We'll see who wins that game._

Grimmjow tried to distract himself. He looked around, trying to keep his eyes open with those deft hands sliding all the way up this thighs and circling around the base of him before moving away. Fingertips traced lightly under his cock and circled the head, teasing him, then cupping his- _Damn, this kid has some fucking talent._

Grimmjow stared out the windows at the front of the store, unseeing but still focusing hard. Anyone could see them or walk in at any time. He could hardly care about that happening, but maybe he should. Maybe Ichigo would care and just wasn't thinking straight.

"We should lock the –_nhg_." This time it wasn't a hand or fingers against his cock, but Ichigo's tongue lapping at the beads of precum on head. "The door, Kurosaki," Grimmjow said, hardly coherent.

Ichigo pulled back and brown eyes flicked to the door, then back to Grimmjow. "Fuck it," he said, and Grimmjow swore he couldn't have been more thankful in his life than in that moment.

Ichigo's head dipped again and Grimmjow hissed, feeling the tip of that deft tongue digging into his slit, lips closing around it and sucking. "Shit," he murmured, closing his eyes and curling his toes. Just where did Ichigo learn all this stuff from anyway? Surely candy couldn't teach you to blow a guy. Right?

Ichigo took him all the way down and Grimmjow's head dropped back, mouth open on a long moan.

Maybe it could, who fucking cared? Grimmjow would buy Ichigo candy for the rest of his life if this is what it taught him. His hips jerked forward, not quite of his own doing, but it felt all the same. Ichigo hummed around his cock and pressed both hands to Grimmjow's hips, pinning them down and rubbing them with each of his thumbs, looking up and melting Grimmjow where he sat. How could anything or anyone look so good when sucking dick? Seriously, Ichigo had some skill in this area and it sort of made Grimmjow jealous. Who else had he sucked like this?

_Why in the shit did that matter right now?_

Carding his hands through mussed, orange hair, Grimmjow coaxed Ichigo closer, watching those lips pass over his cock with quick bobs, sucking hard and making all those delicious noises he'd been tortured with for months. Now, Grimmjow was the treat Ichigo craved and Grimmjow rolled his eyes back as that warm tongue swiped underneath him until Ichigo pulled back and released him with a loud slurp. More than anything, Grimmjow loved that Ichigo wasn't ashamed.

Ichigo stared at him for a moment, and they reached an understanding without saying a word. Practically leaping out of his chair, Grimmjow yanked Ichigo off the floor and guided him back through the store. Grimmjow tucked himself back in with one hand and made a quick stop at the door, locking it now that they had the chance. Then Grimmjow continued on his determined path again.

He led them to the southernmost area of the store, releasing Ichigo's wrist as they reached the bedroom display, one they'd put together themselves. It was a furniture store, after all. Why not take advantage?

Grimmjow turned and a long arm to wrapping around his waist, pulling him in. He mumbled appreciation under his breath as soft, slightly swollen lips kissed at the corner of his mouth. Ichigo whispering to him to hurry it up.

Grimmjow was not about to make him wait.

The bed Grimmjow picked had always been his favorite. A couple months ago, it was delivered and Grimmjow's eyes sparkled at the box as he took things out and assembled the headboard. The mattress was perfect, squishy enough for comfort but not too relenting, firm enough to keep his weight evenly balanced. Yeah, he'd laid there plenty of times. What the hell else were you supposed to do for hours on end in a furniture store that hardly anyone shopped in?

The sheets and comforter were a deep red, not exactly Grimmjow's first pick, but still pleasing to the eye. Oversized pillows lined the mahogany headboard and thick blankets were turned down to show the satin sheets, crimson and shining even in the fluorescent lights above.

He watched Ichigo lay back in the center of the bed, leaning up on his elbows and giving him a look.

Grimmjow brought a knee up on the edge of the bed and crawled over Ichigo, kneeling between his legs. Climbing up over him, he dipped his head, nipping at Ichigo's lips. Ichigo spread his legs further, taunting Grimmjow with a little half smirk. Those tight pants constricted around Ichigo's hard cock, drawing Grimmjow's eyes to the tight fabric.

Swallowing hard, Grimmjow sat back and grabbed the edge of his own shirt, pulling it up with one arm and tossing it aside. Just as he'd hoped, Ichigo's eyes scoured down his torso. He moved back in and bit at Ichigo's neck, turning up bright marks that brought out that red blush on Ichigo's skin that he so loved. _Such a pretty little strawberry_.

Ichigo's hands clung Grimmjow's belt, tugging it out of the loops since it was still unbuckled from earlier. As it fell aside, Grimmjow kissed up Ichigo's jaw, rolling his eyes closed as eager hands dragged over his stomach and skated upward to tug at his nipples.

Grimmjow leaned on one arm and reached down with the other, palming the inside of Ichigo's thigh, dragging it upward and coming to rest over the bulge in his jeans. He traced his fingers around it then grabbed hard, rubbing firmly and making Ichigo writhe beneath him, tossing his head to the side and planting a palm against his mouth to bite off the sounds of his pleasure.

Grimmjow chuckled. This kid had no idea, did he?

"Fuck, Grimmjow," Ichigo said, panting through the words. "This is a horrible idea. We don't even have lube."

Grimmjow paused and sat back on his knees. "Actually.." Reaching back, he shuffled for his wallet in a back pocket and smirked as he found it.

Ichigo gaped at him, then sat up, trying to peer into the wallet as Grimmjow shifted his money aside and reached in, grabbing something.

"You just carry that around?"

"Yeah, why not? It's good to be prepared."

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow like he was crazy. Relieved that Grimmjow had lube, but still. Crazy.

"Are you one of those people that takes an umbrella everywhere too?"

Grimmjow snapped his wallet shut, tossing it aside to retrieve later. "It could rain, you don't even know!" he grumbled. Then Ichigo laughed, and he couldn't help smiling.

"Here." Grimmjow tossed the small packet at Ichigo's face. "Idiot."

Ichigo smirked and set it aside, wrapping an arm around Grimmjow's neck, pulling him down. Maybe it was because Ichigo was grateful, but the kiss was better still than any of those before. Hands started moving again, groping, pulling at clothing, moans and pants breaking the silence. Grimmjow dropped between Ichigo's legs and ground their hips together, groaning out heatedly as Ichigo bucked under him.

"Fuck, it's a shame I can't tie you up here," Grimmjow said, sliding a hand up Ichigo's arm and lifting it above his head. "You'd look pretty nice like that, I bet."

Ichigo scowled, but Grimmjow could tell he was thinking about it. "What kind of weird stuff are you into anyway?"

With a roll of his eyes, Grimmjow released Ichigo's arm and let his tongue dart out over his lips. "You have no idea, kid."

"Yet," Ichigo corrected, ambitiously. Hopefully?

Grimmjow flashed a grin, definitely catching the hint. "_Yet_ is fucking right."

* * *

><p>That little, infectious grin. Fuck if it wasn't sinful. Ichigo's breath hitched every time he saw it, and having Grimmjow bent over him when he did it, lust in his eyes and intent in his movements, Ichigo's body thrummed with the thrill of it.<p>

Grimmjow pushed Ichigo's shirt up, spreading his hand out over his flat belly. Rather than watching his own hand, Grimmjow stared straight at Ichigo while his fingers teased at one of his nipples, stealing a gasp from Ichigo's lips as his head tilted back into the pillow. Ichigo didn't see Grimmjow moving down, but he felt the heat of breath on his stomach, then warm lips tracing his navel. They moved down and ghosted over his groin.

Ichigo knew that one of those annoying blushes was staining his cheeks. He turned his head to bite at the pillow, just to quiet himself, because otherwise he might start whining. Or worse, _begging_ for Grimmjow to do _something_. Stop teasing, stop taking it slow. _Just fuck me already._

Grimmjow must have figured it out because suddenly, Ichigo's pants were slackening, as much as they could considering they were so tight, and Grimmjow was pulling them down, cursing beneath his breath at how little they moved with each of his graceless tugs. Ichigo lifted his hips to help, distantly wondering how his pants had been the first to come off, even as his shirt still rested, half folded up over his chest. He didn't care, really. It was just interesting. Kind of.

With Ichigo's jeans half way down his thighs, Grimmjow gave up in his endeavor and moved back up, sucking on Ichigo's lips and palming his cock, letting his fingers curl beneath his balls and tease a strangled whimper out of him. Grimmjow must have loved that sound, Ichigo guessed, because he just kept doing it. No matter how Ichigo tried to stop it, every single time, he gave in, letting out another one of those sounds that made him red and angry, but still too turned on to do anything about it.

As Ichigo fought down his embarrassment, two firm hands planted on his hips and whirled him around, sending him face first into the sheets. Grimmjow pulled back on his hips, bringing his ass in the air. Ichigo didn't fight, but moaned into the dark fabric of the pillow. Because this was what he wanted, Grimmjow was finally speeding it up.

Or so Ichigo thought until Grimmjow pushed Ichigo's rear back down and sat on the backs of his thighs, just beneath the curve of Ichigo's ass. Before he could ask, Ichigo heard zipping, or rather, unzipping and craned his neck.

Ichigo wasn't entirely sure what he meant to say, but the sound that left his mouth was certainly not a word.

Grimmjow had reached into his pants and took out his cock; thick and straining between his fingers. The tip of it gleamed and Ichigo squirmed against the bed, moaning as his own cock rubbed against the sheets.

Grimmjow shifted a little and pushed his cock down, settling it on Ichigo's ass, right in the seam where only the thin fabric of his boxers separated skin from skin. Ichigo pushed with his knees against the bed, trying to lift himself up, angle his hips, but it was no use. Grimmjow's full body weight rested on his legs and he couldn't do anything more than raise up on his forearms and stare as Grimmjow teased him

"Damn, look at this ass," Grimmjow rumbled, watching happily as Ichigo struggled and moaned.

"Grimmjow! _Shit_." Ichigo tried twisting around, but his legs were still tangled in his pants and Grimmjow was far too heavy, pinning him down. "Hurry _up_," he growled, losing patience as it gave way to blinding need.

The quick rip of paper behind him sent a wave a relief through him, and he tried to relax, dropping flat on the bed and holding his breath. Grimmjow's fingers peeled back his boxers and fondled his bare ass, taking his fucking time. Ichigo turned his head to the side and chewed on his lip as Grimmjow sat back, wetting his fingers with the lube from the package, one at a time, like he had all fucking day

Ichigo thought he smelled fruit, but wasn't thinking clearly and ignored the thought, taking a breath and sighing loudly. "Come _on_, Grimmjow!"

"Alright, take it easy," Grimmjow actually fucking snickered, the asshole.

A warm hand ran over the curve of Ichigo's ass, then pushed a finger inside without warning, straight to the second knuckle.

"Ah, damn it, asshole. Not so fast!"

"You just fucking told me to hurry up." Grimmjow pulled the finger out, slowly, because he's a jerk like that. "So which is it? Fast or slow?"

"Just-" Ichigo panted as the finger sank back in and another pressed in next to it. "Keep going."

"That's what I thought," Grimmjow responded, but the heated tone had melted away. Only the rough whisper of his deep voice met Ichigo's ears.

Ichigo groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't make me regret this."

"Oh," Grimmjow bent forward, pressing his fingers in and deep, curling them just so- "I promise, Ichigo, you won't."

Ichigo shuddered involuntarily and tried backing his ass up again, wanting more of that feeling and something thicker, hotter inside him. _He wanted to be full, damn it_.

Ichigo got the exact opposite. Grimmjow removed his fingers and scooted back, yanking Ichigo's pants the rest of the way off and tossing them to the side where they fell forgotten on the ground. Ichigo's boxers were next, then Ichigo guessed Grimmjow rid himself of his own clothing because the next thing he felt was the blunt, slick tip of Grimmjow's cock, nudging against his entrance. Ichigo could hear the soft slide of a hand as Grimmjow stroked himself.

Once again, Ichigo thought he was moments away from getting what he wanted, but Grimmjow pulled back again and firm, wet kisses were littered on his lower back, making a path straight for his- "_Ungh, god!_"

Grimmjow circled his hole with his tongue, then plunged inside, forcing Ichigo to make this high sound that was somewhere between a choked out moan and a sob. Ichigo couldn't think straight, couldn't even breathe. All he could feel was wet heat. Such good, amazing fucking heat, and then as soon as it left, he had all of three seconds to hate the empty feeling before Grimmjow rammed his cock inside him and there was nothing but the stretch and burn and- _fuck_.

Steady hands grabbed Ichigo's eagerly twisting hips. They held them still as Grimmjow straddled Ichigo's ass and held him down as he adjusted to Grimmjow's size. When Ichigo gave a halfhearted attempt to move, Grimmjow spurred into action.

Hands moved up Ichigo's legs and wrapped around his hips. Hard, muscular thighs smacked against the back of his own with each thrust. Ichigo could only hold on to the sheets as Grimmjow's hips rolled and that thick length slid in and out of him, slow and deep. When he was sure Ichigo was ready for it, Grimmjow kicked up the pace, grunting with every press of his hips.

Ichigo cried out and arched his back, throwing himself into each of Grimmjow's movements just to feel a little more, to take all of him and tighten around it as the tension curled tightly in his lower half.

Ichigo didn't have to turn to know Grimmjow's eyes were dark. He could feel each of his thrusts getting more erratic as time passed and the hands on his skin tensed, grabbing harder, bruisingly, and pulling him closer.

"Ichi- fuck, _Ichigo_," Grimmjow panted, lips sloppy against his ear. "I need- _need_ more"

Ichigo gasped and nodded his head. "Harder, then." Ichigo drew his knees up beneath him and rocked back into Grimmjow with more force than before. "Come on, Grimmjow." Ichigo swallowed and felt some of his pride go along with it. "_Now!_"

After that, Grimmjow was _everywhere_. Lips, hands, his hot chest against Ichigo's back. Sweat making their skin slide easily, and the bed creaking beneath them. At least they were breaking it in, right? Ichigo could barely keep up, struggling to breathe between Grimmjow's frantic, almost desperate fucking.

Ichigo's fingers dug into the sheets and he kept his chest pressed against the bed, back angled up so Grimmjow could take him easily and fully. Hands roamed from his hips to his thighs to bring him back each time, harder onto his cock. Just how Ichigo liked it, how he'd always wanted with this man.

There was no going back, and Ichigo wouldn't if he could. One of Grimmjow's hands slipped under Ichigo and grabbed his cock, gripping it loosely as he continued with the rhythmic thrusts, snapping his hips to an off paced beat that pushed Ichigo through his hand.

Ichigo heard the sounds he'd never made before muffled into the mattress, smothered by Grimmjow's heavy breathing and breathy grunts. Every time he was filled again, every press of lips against his back or over his neck, Ichigo heard Grimmjow make a deep sound, something that mesmerized him as he lost himself to sensation.

Grimmjow sped up as he reached his peak, forcing Ichigo along with him as he finally started jerking Ichigo's length in time with his thrusts, calling to him under his breath, saying Ichigo's name with something dangerously close to desperation.

And Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

His release shot from him like rapid fire, hitting the sheets, wetting Grimmjow's hand and Ichigo's quivering belly. Ichigo felt himself tighten around Grimmjow, all the muscles inside him clenching, and Grimmjow pulled back once more and then pushed deep inside with a long, deep moan as he spent himself.

"Fuck, shit, _holy_-" Grimmjow groaned again, and the arm supporting his weight collapsed beneath him, dropping him on Ichigo's back and squishing the redhead against the now filthy bed.

Ichigo couldn't be bothered to complain about how hot he was, or the stickiness of the sheets against his skin. Grimmjow slid about behind him, but didn't move away, wrapping both arms around Ichigo's chest and pulling so that the both of them lay on their sides, spooning and unwilling to open their eyes as exertion drew them into sleep.

* * *

><p>Grimmjow wasn't sure what to think when he woke with a warm body curled against his chest. Blinking open his eyes to nothing but red was quite a shock, viewing Ichigo's mop of wayward spikes and twisted, crimson sheets... that belonged to- oh. <em>OH!<em>

Grimmjow rolled over. One arm was still pinned under Ichigo's weight, but he managed to turn on his back and reach down next to the bed, grabbing his pants and finding his watch. It was already morning, less than three hours from the time the store should open. It was also Wednesday which meant- _Crap_.

Kisuke always came in early on Wednesdays to sort out bills, check on the stock, take care of deliveries. All that boring bullshit. He did it right fucking _now_, so they had to get out of there. Like, ten minutes ago.

Grimmjow rolled back over and shook Ichigo's shoulder, jerking his body so violently that really, the kid shouldn't have been able to sleep through that, but it took a full three minutes to get his eyes open.

"Whah? What's-" Ichigo's eyes settled on Grimmjow's and slowly focused, possibly realizing what they'd done and where exactly they were. Grimmjow watched brown eyes widen and couldn't help smirking at the emotions that passed over Ichigo's face. Confusion, surprise, panic.

Grimmjow could sympathize with each of those. They just didn't have time for that.

The front door beeped, loud enough to cut through the entire store in its silence. Grimmjow burst into action, hopping out of the bed, practically tossing his clothes on and shoving Ichigo's pants in his face as he sat up sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Come on, slow poke. Kisuke's already here."

As if in answer, the two of them heard whistling and Ichigo scrambled out of the bed, dancing around to get back in his pants –rather amusing, even considering their situation- and tugged on his shirt, cursing as he stared down at the dirty sheets.

There was white. Fucking. _Everywhere_.

"Damn it." Ichigo rubbed at his hair, closing his eyes in frustration.

Grimmjow picked up the discarded lube package, shoving it and the end of his shirt into a back pocket. "Help me take the sheets off. We'll just tell him we were switching it out and never got around to it."

Ichigo nodded and helped rip the duvet and sheets off the bed, then they scurried toward the back door, still hopping around bare footed with socks in their pockets, pants hanging open in the front and underwear bunching from being pulled on so quickly.

Ichigo nearly tripped three times over the lopsided comforter he was trying to balance in his hands. Grimmjow just had to carry the sheets, which were much more manageable on the run. They crashed through the rear exit and all but collapsed against the back wall of the building, Ichigo falling down on his butt with the sheets abandoned on the ground, panting for breath.

It looked like they made it out in time because Kisuke was the type of guy that would give them shit if he found out what had happened. And not the, _you're in trouble sort_, but the teasing, embarrassing, never ending kind.

Grimmjow had dropped the sheets too, and was leaning on one hand against the wall, staring at the ground with his hair fallen over his face, a right and complete mess. Catching his breath, he looked up, and just as Ichigo looked at him, the both of them laughed. They weren't caught _and_ they got away with fooling around in the store. That was certainly one way to start a day.

"What now?" Ichigo asked, sitting up with his back to the wall and tugging his socks from his pockets to put them on.

Grimmjow should have been doing the same, the back alley was pretty nasty, but decided he didn't really care.

"Wanna come over? We've got a couple hours and you need a shower."

Ichigo snorted, picking himself up off the ground and scowling at the dirty blanket. "We both do."

"Alright, follow me over to my place?"

Ichigo nodded, and the two of them made their way out of the alley, walking out into the parking lot. As they're about to split off to their cars, Grimmjow grabbed Ichigo's forearm and turned him around.

"What?" Ichigo asked, alarm on his face.

Grimmjow knocked the blanket out of Ichigo's hands and cut him off before he could bitch, bringing him in to kiss him once, softly. When he pulled back, Ichigo had all but melted against his chest. The perfect time to ask what was on his mind. "Are you still quitting?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and kissed Grimmjow again. "And give away the privilege of being your manager?" Ichigo's thin fingers wove into Grimmjow's hair, and he whispered over his lips. "Never."

_They wouldn't realize until later that night that they had completely forgotten about the security tapes._

* * *

><p>Edit: Came back and did a final edit on this. I think this is as good as it's gonna get.<p> 


End file.
